Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-09


nourcrneu &C the amount of the aDprO-
/ praion in The pending river and har5or
bill Tor Savannah's rbor-an amount so
small. so piufully Insignificant, so wholly
inadequate 10 the present needs
OF the harbor as to excite the
derisIon of everyone who feels the
/ least interest in Savannah's pros
perity-and vet otone citizen has raised
his voice in protest against such treat
ment from Congress, not one citizen has
proposed public condemnation Of such
outrageous legislation and not one citizen
has taken a step toward organizing a
movement looking TO an increase OF the
amount. Why ia this? Are the business
men of Savannah so Indifferent to their
river interests, so careless Of the future
of their city and so lacking in public
spirit that they are willing To see their
harbor, which is the outlet TO the sea Tor
a hundred millions of commerce year,
! legislated for as if it were a duck pond or
a trout stream?
| Waat would be the action Of the bust
ness men OF a growing, vigorous, pushing
| Western town unuer such circumstances!
Why, they would call meetngs, they
woud protest in language 80 emphatic
that the duh ears Of Congress would burn
and tinglP. ADD Trey would send delega-
| tons to " ashington that would make the
lives of their re representatives. burden to
! them until they secured a Just recognition
of the Wants and rights Of their section.
! The Dizziness men OF this city have done
| L., aed @
no indication that they intend to do any
thing. Some comp ain and others dom
give the harbor a second thought. Do
| thew expect others to do for them what
they ought to do themselves? While the
business men OF other cities are up and
doing, and striking vigorous blows for
their interests, the business men OF this
city are silent, inert and apparently
paralyzed.
| What spectacle for growing, pros
porous city to PRESENT. What is the new
management of the Central railroad
doing in this matter? Anything? Not
as far as anyone knows. And vet, for
months the steamers of the Ocean Steam.
ship Company have not been able to 20
to sea with fun cargoes, and have, time
and again, during the present season,
been aground,
There is not citizen Of Savannah who
has not an interest in having her harOor
improved al once. Deep water to the sea
means everything to this city. Without
1t the products of the great West, which
are beginning 10 seek the seabOard at his
port, and even Of nearby territory, will
soon find it advantageous to seek an out
let elsewhere. Where the biggest ships
there commerce will go. The future
| prosperity OF Savannah depends upon the
Improvement OF her harbor.
But will the arhOr ever be improved If
the present method of making appropria-
lions for it is continued FIr mOnths last
year not a stroke of work was done in it.
| Attacked by wind and tide the incom-
pleted works were damaged, and the
channel became INSTRUCTED with shoals.
! When at last an appropriation was OBJ
tanned it was not half the amount asked
for to complete the improvement. And
now 1t is proposed TO supplement that by
| the picayune sum of $40, 900 for
the next fiscal year. Do the citizens
of Savannah know what this little
appropriation means? 1t means that all
work on the harbor viii be stopped by
next September. and that the iucompleted
| Improvement will be abandoned fer
whole year. Is that a pleasant thing TO
contemplated What will be the condition
of the harbor by the time an apprOpria-
ton by the FIitieth Congress is avail
able? If the channel became badly OBJ
structed during the few months work
was stopped last sumner how much
!reater will the distractions be after
years Abandonment?
Savannah must act promptly and vigo-
rously. II she accepts without a protest
the little sums that are dnled out to her,
the present generation viii NOS see her
narbor in much better condition than it
is now. Augusta asked for $4,000 to
complete the improvement of the SaVan-
nah river, aud she gets the whole amount.
savannah. WITH forty times as much com
! nerce at stake, asked for $3.50 coo to CON-
plete the improv ment OF her harbor, aud
he gets $4,000. Why this discrimina-
ton against savannah il the business
| men ofsthis city nave the right sort of
grit they will know the reason why.